Other MOPD Initiatives

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Disability Service Facilitators

Local Law 27 of 2016 requires every City agency to designate a Disability Service Facilitator (DSF). Disability Service Facilitators serve as an easy access point for the public to obtain information, services and assistance concerning access within the agency for people with disabilities.

MOPD convenes regular meetings of the DSFs to share information and provide training and also organizes field trips to enrich the DSFs’ understanding of disability issues, culture and history. Recent field trips have included tours of the PS 47 museum, focusing on the history of the City’s first public school for the Deaf, and of the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library.

A full list of DSFs can be found on the MOPD website at www.nyc.gov/dsf. The page also includes a new “Meet a DSF” section, which features profiles of individual DSFs.

Local Law 12 Five-Year Accessibility Plans

Local Law 12 of 2023 requires every agency to have a five-year accessibility plan, outlining current and planned initiatives in the areas of digital accessibility, workplace inclusion, effective communication, physical accessibility and programmatic access. Each agency has been responsible for developing its own plan. However, MOPD has provided training and guidance to agencies, including through the Disability Service Facilitator program (see section immediately above this one) as they have developed and implemented their plans. MOPD also supported the public comment process.

Agency plans and annual progress reports are posted on individual agency websites and are also available at nyc.gov/accessibilityplans.

Digital Accessibility

Local Law 26 of 2016 requires the City to adopt a website accessibility standard and to publish a report on the accessibility of City websites every two years. In December 2025, OTI and MOPD issued the City’s fifth biennial Digital Accessibility Report, in which they announced the adoption of WCAG 2.2 Level AA as the accessibility standard for websites and mobile apps maintained by or on behalf of the City. Some highlights from the report are described below.

NYC.gov Redesign

New York City’s Digital Service team at the Office of Technology & Innovation (OTI) is modernizing how the City builds digital user experiences with a new citywide design system and technology stack. Through user research and analytics, the new design system was built to be accessible, usable, and sustainable to meet the evolving needs of New Yorkers.

The City’s Digital Accessibility Coordinator, housed at MOPD, has been consulted from the beginning, advising on accessibility best practices. OTI has also engaged a partner to conduct accessibility audits throughout the development process, ensuring accessibility at launch and beyond. The redesigned nyc.gov “main” site launched in the Fall of 2025. There is a roadmap to transition all NYC agency websites (dependent on funding) over the next couple of years.

Digital Inclusion Officer (DIO) Program

In Summer 2024, MOPD launched an agency Digital Inclusion Officer (DIO) program. Acting as an accessibility advocate within their agency, the DIO serves as the main point person within an agency on digital accessibility and as the liaison with the Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) and MOPD on digital accessibility issues. DIOs are expected to complete the full suite of digital accessibility trainings that MOPD provides to ensure they have the knowledge to effectively fulfill their role. As of November 1, 2025, 41 agencies have designated DIOs, most of whom have completed the training suite offered by MOPD. MOPD currently convenes monthly meetings with the DIOs and holds weekly office hours for the group.

Citywide Digital Accessibility Training Efforts

In March 2025, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), MOPD, and NYC Talent’s Center for Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion (CWAI), in partnership with Microsoft, launched a new digital accessibility training for City of New York employees. This training is available to all 300,000+ City employees, enabling the City to serve as a model employer with respect to workplace accessibility and inclusion, and provides instruction on how to use existing tools in Microsoft products and apply best practices to create accessible content. It emphasizes the principles and guidelines of accessibility, recognizes common barriers, and provides solutions for successfully creating fully accessible digital content so that City services can be better accessed by people with disabilities. The launch of the digital accessibility training is the culmination of a nearly two-year effort between the DCAS, MOPD, CWAI, and Microsoft, inspired in part by the City Council’s Local Law 12 of 2023 , which mandated City agencies create five-year accessibility plans in consultation with MOPD.

Additionally, the City’s Digital Accessibility Coordinator, housed at MOPD, has continued to provide live trainings for City agency employees upon request. Over the last two years, more than 30 trainings have taken place—covering topics such as Creating Accessible Communications, Accessible Videos and Social Media, and Creating Accessible PDFs and PDF Forms.

Citywide Digital Accessibility Standard and Policy

As noted above, the City has adopted WCAG 2.2 Level AA as the accessibility standard for its websites and mobile apps. The development and implementation of a comprehensive Citywide Digital Accessibility Standard and Policy that will cover all of the City’s information and communication technology – including hardware, like computers and copy machines, and software -- will ensure all agencies are working under the same expectations. Creating this standard and policy and establishing a roadmap for implementation is a major priority of the NYC Digital Accessibility Coordinator over the next couple of years.

Deaf Access

During the Adams administration, the City has engaged in a number of continued and new initiatives that have increased access for the Deaf community and raised awareness and understanding of the Deaf community within the larger population. Notably, Mayor Adams appointed the City’s first Deaf Commissioner, MOPD Commissioner Christina Curry, in August 2022.

ASL Direct

In 2018, MOPD, in partnership with the NYC Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), launched ASL Direct, a video conferencing line where constituents who communicate in American Sign Language can be connected directly to an information specialist fluent in ASL. The program originally was housed solely at MOPD, but expanded to HRA in 2019.

In December 2024, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a public notice entitled Direct Video Calling Can Enhance Accessibility of Consumer Call Centers , highlighting how government agencies, businesses, and others can use Direct Video Calling (DVC) to enhance access to customer service and other consumer-facing call centers for people with disabilities. We hope to see many more examples of ASL Direct-type program in the years to come.

To be connected to MOPD’s ASL Direct video conferencing line, call 646-396-5830. To be connected to HRA’s ASL Direct video conferencing line, call 347-474-4231.

Emergency Services: Text-to-911

Text-to-911 is the ability to send a text message to reach 911 emergency call takers from a mobile phone or device.  It is useful for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, as well as those who may not be able to make a voice 911 call for safety reasons. New York City successfully launched Text-to-911 in June 2020. Text-to-911 is an ongoing collaboration of the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI), NYPD, and FDNY, with more than 202,641 text sessions initiated as of June 2025.

Department of Social Services (DSS) Initiatives

The City’s Department of Social Services (DSS) includes both the Human Resources Administration (HRA) and the Department of Homeless Services (DHS). In order to continue to promote the ASL Direct service at the agency, DSS designed palm cards for public distribution. Currently all open Job and SNAP Centers have these cards available for clients who are D/deaf or hard of hearing to take home with them. The Deaf & Hard of Hearing Information Specialist at DSS’s ASL Direct assists videophone callers using ASL with access to information regarding both HRA and DHS, navigating the ACCESS HRA website and app, and assists with navigating the scheduling of ASL interpretation at DSS sites.

To further facilitate communication between DHS and HRA staff and sign language users, DSS uses an ASL Options Card, which informs ASL-users of their options in obtaining sign language interpretation at HRA and DHS locations. The tool denotes the availability of Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) (available immediately), in-person interpretation (available within 2 hours), and scheduling an appointment for a later date and time.

For more information about ASL resources at HRA and DHS, visit ASL Services for HRA and DHS Clients or use your video phone to call 347-474-4231.

Deaf Town Halls

In September 2024, MOPD revived the Deaf Town Halls, which had been held during the COVID-19 pandemic. These events are an opportunity for City agencies, and occasionally other entities, to provide information to the Deaf community about their programs and services and to receive feedback. Typically, one or more agencies present on a particular topic for the first part of the event, followed by open Q and A. The events are designed to foster dialogue between the Deaf community and City and other agencies, providing a platform for addressing concerns and sharing insights.

Deaf Town Halls are needed because many Deaf New Yorkers face systemic communication barriers in traditional public forums, where access is often limited due to interpreters not being provided, inaccessible formats, or delayed information. MOPD’s ASL-centered Deaf Town Halls ensure information is delivered in the community’s primary language ensuring it is fully accessible and culturally appropriate, allowing Deaf New Yorkers to engage with city agencies, learn about city resources, raise concerns, and provide feedback in real time.

Recent Deaf Town Halls have featured: the NYC Police Department (NYPD) (September 2024); the NYC Campaign Finance Board (CFB) and the NYC Board of Elections (NYC BOE) (October 2024 and October 2025); MOPD’s NYC: ATWORK program (November 2024); the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) (February 2025), the New York State Deaf DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing Office (April 2025); and the Department of Housing and Preservation and Development (HPD) (July and September 2025).

ASL Mini-Courses for Agency Staff

In 2024, DSS, in partnership with MOPD, started providing ASL courses for DSS staff, focusing on frontline staff who interact with clients. Since January 2024, seven groups of DSS staff, totaling 126 individuals, have participated in these mini-courses, which have been held over the course of 5-6 weeks.

MOPD’s Deaf Etiquette and Awareness Training

MOPD’s ASL Direct Supervisor is a member of the team that provides live Disability Etiquette and Awareness Training to City agency staff and external partners (described later in this section). More recently, he has developed a training that focuses specifically on how to interact with members of the Deaf community.

Deaf-specific etiquette and awareness trainings are essential to reducing communication breakdowns, eliminating barriers, and improving cultural competence by strengthening staff across city agencies in their understanding of Deaf culture, language, and communication norms. These trainings build practical capacity and improve interactions with Deaf constituents, ensuring agencies provide programs and services that are respectful, effective, and equitable.

The training has so far been delivered to, among others, City agency Disability Service Facilitators and staff of the New York State Attorney General’s Office, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and the Bureau of Children, Youth Families and Developmental Disabilities of the City Health Department’s Division of Mental Hygiene.

Local Law 19 of 2025

Local Law 19 of 2025 requires the City to provide public service announcements in ASL on certain City advertising structures (currently, LINKNYC kiosks) beginning in May 2026. Ahead of the law taking effect, as of November 2025, the Mayor’s Office of Community and Ethnic Media in partnership with MOPD has already released three videos in ASL on LINKNYC kiosks, with an additional six scheduled for release.

You can read more about LINKNYC kiosks in the Built Environment and Public Realm section of this report.

Additional Initiatives

Additional initiatives MOPD has undertaken since 2022 to make the City more Deaf-friendly and increase awareness of Deaf history and culture include the following:

• Deaf Awareness Month Webpage
  In September 2023, MOPD launched a Deaf Awareness Month webpage at nyc.gov/DeafAwareness. Each September, MOPD updates the page and amplifies it over social media.
• Public Events
  MOPD has hosted or co-hosted the following public events showcasing Deaf individuals:
• a talk in April 2022 by Claudia Gordon, a Deaf attorney who served as a key advisor on disability policy during the Obama administration;
• a screening of the Shattered Mind, a feature-length film about a Black Deaf family in New York City by Deaf filmmaker Jade Bryan, at the Museum of the Moving Image in September 2022 (co-hosted with the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment);
• My Deaf Family, a virtual discussion, held over two evenings in 2022 and 2023, hosted by MOPD’s ASL Direct supervisor, with members of his family, one of the largest Black Deaf families in the United States.
• City Content in ASL
  MOPD is compiling video content provided by the City in ASL and will make these available on MOPD’s website during the first quarter of 2026. Additional videos will be added as they become available.

Accessible Event Planning

In May 2025, MOPD published a Guide to Planning Accessible Events. The guide, which is available on MOPD’s website at nyc.gov/AccessibleEventPlanning, includes step by step information on how to plan and execute an event that is accessible and inclusive of people with various disabilities.

We encourage those involved in planning events to use the guide and send any feedback to us at DSF@cityhall.nyc.gov. MOPD is also available to train City agencies and City agency partners on accessible event planning. Agencies that have been trained so far include the NYC Economic Development Corporation and the Office of the Queens District Attorney.

Disability Etiquette and Awareness Trainings

In 2022, DCAS deployed an online disability etiquette training that many City agencies began requiring for their staff as part of their 5-Year Accessibility Plans.

MOPD has also continued to offer live Disability Etiquette and Awareness training for City agencies and others. All of the presenters are employees of MOPD and have lived experience as people with disabilities. Since January 2024, MOPD has presented live trainings to more than 800 people, including City staff, employers in the private and nonprofit sectors who work with MOPD’s NYC: ATWORK program, workforce providers, and other community partners, including at all five Workforce1 hubs. For City agencies, this live training supplements DCAS’s online training.

Additionally, some City agencies, including the Department of Social Services and the Department of Health, have developed their own disability etiquette and awareness trainings tailored to their own agencies and staff.

35 Years Forward: ADA x NYC

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, MOPD was proud to lead 35 Years Forward: ADA x NYC, a month-long series of events highlighting the progress, resilience, and ongoing efforts of the disability community.

MOPD created a citywide ADA35 calendar at nyc.gov/ada35 and created a social media toolkit for all City agencies and partners to help amplify the milestone. The toolkit included sample posts and suggested hashtags.

MOPD Quarterly Community Calls

MOPD continues to host the community calls that were started during the COVID-19 pandemic. The calls are a forum for City, State and federal agencies to provide updates to the local disability community. Calls are currently held quarterly over zoom. You can register for the Zoom Webinar and receive notices of upcoming meetings.

 

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